A man who authorities say broke into his ex-girlfriend's Piscataway home and fatally stabbed her and a friend Sunday before killing himself had hopes of resuming the relationship with the woman, friends said today.

Andrew Krisinski, who authorities say stabbed Christa Wahler, 45, and Dennis Marko, 41, in Wahler's home on South Randolpville Road, was a 6-foot, 4-inch, 300-pound man who usually had a gentle nature, people close to him said.

Google MapsSouth Randolphville Road in Piscataway, where Christina Wahler and Dennis Marko were fatally attacked in Wahler's home by her ex-boyfriend, Andrew Krisinski.

"We think he's a big teddy bear. He'd give you the shirt off his back," said Chad Bacek, one of Krisinski's partners at Central Jersey Construction in Green Brook.

"This is completely out of character," Bacek of the attack. He and Krisinski, a licensed plumber, started the business two years ago with three other partners.

Marko had a seven-year-old daughter, Wahler had two sons about 8 and 10 years old, and Krisinski was a father of four children ages 6 to 12, friends said. All three parents were divorced, but friends and relatives say each was devoted to their children.

Krisinski and Wahler had known each other for more than five years, and apparently met through their mutual interest in playing pool, friends said. Both were members of the American Poolplayers Association of Union and Middlesex, a group that plays in competitions regularly at various locations.

Krisinski and Wahler lived together in her house for 18 months, until Wahler got a restraining order to force him out in February -- simply because she wanted to end the relationship, said Tanya Kurucza, who was friends with both people but said she was closer to Wahler.

"There was never any history of violence. She just wanted to him to leave," Kurucza said.

She said Wahler had the restraining order lifted in March. Krisinski, however, wanted to resume the relationship.

"You could see that he just loved that girl," said Kurucza, who worked with Wahler at EVA Tees shop in Piscataway. Both women had previously been bartenders at a bar in Metuchen, Kurucza said.

Marko, a carpenter, and Wahler and dated more than 15 years ago. They renewed their friendship less than a week before the stabbings.

On Sunday, Wahler called 911 at 10:09 p.m., reporting that Krisinski was crashing through her dining room window to gain entry to the house.

A township officer reached the house three minutes later, at 10:12 p.m., and three other officers arrived less than a minute later, Piscataway police Capt. Richard Ivone said. He said the officers had to force open a door to enter the house, but by that time Krisinski had already stabbed Wahler, Marko and himself.

Wahler was pronounced dead at the house at 10:36 p.m. and Krisinski was pronounced dead at 10:52 p.m. Marko was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where he was pronounced dead at 11:01 a.m.

Autopsies today by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner's Office determined Wahler suffered stab wounds to her chest and back, and Marko had wounds to his head and torso, as well as defensive wounds to both hands, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said today.

Krisinski stabbed himself four times in chest, with two wounds described as hesitation wounds and two others that penetrated the chest, Kaplan said in the statement.